Teen Parents Feel Sting of ECISD's Proposed Cuts
By: Monica Tassoni
Updated: March 28, 2011
Members of the board made it a point to say that cuts will stay as far away from the classroom as possible. They will do everything they can so that the teacher to student ratio stays the same. To do this, however, they plan on freezing the staff's pay, consolidating and eliminating central office positions by 24 percent, and restructuring some of the services they offer.
One of the programs that will be restructured is the Teen Parent Center. The center is a haven to the 111 girls who take classes right across the hall from their child's daycare.
"The girls could check on their babies when they wanted to and when they were sick they could give them their medicine or breathing treatments or what may be needed," said Claudette Jones, the Principal of the Teen Parent Center.
But in an effort to save $2.8 million in the 2011-2012 fiscal year, E.C.I.S.D. has proposed to close the T.P.C. and offer a redesigned and consolidated service.
"That's what this budget has forced us to do." said E.C.I.S.D. Superintendent Hector Mendez. "We are not eliminating services, we are providing the same service in a different location."
The girls and their children will take a bus to Zavala Elementary, where the mother will drop her child off at the already existing daycare. The mother will then be taken to her local high school.
"As a matter of fact, a very positive is that they will get serviced better at the high schools because you are limited only to the course work at TPC," said Mendez. "You don't have the option for all the other electives and other activities" Said Hector Mendez.
But school officials are still nervous about taking the girls and their child
"The teacher and principals will take care of the girls we know that," said Jones. "But here we get to know them we get very intimate because we are right there we know their stories their struggle."
Each girl will also be assigned a case worker to follow her progress. As for the teachers and faculty at the center, they will reassigned to different positions within the school district.
